The International Transport Forum (ITF) 2026 Summit on "Funding Resilient Transport" takes place from May 6-8, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany, under the Presidency of Azerbaijan. This year's summit will be the world's largest gathering of transport ministers and the premier global transport policy event. The 2026 theme, "Funding Resilient Transport," is the second in the 2025-2027 ITF Summit trilogy on transport resilience.

The 2026 edition of the world's premier transport policy features three ITF Spotlight on Research Sessions as part of the official Summit program. The sessions bring together research experts, senior-level policy practitioners, and decision-makers to discuss and exchange ideas on the Summit theme.

The sessions aim to inform policy decisions by helping practitioners understand the increasing complexity of mobility systems. They raise awareness of the latest innovations and transformative technologies and critically assess the impacts of current and proposed policies.

2026 Summit sessions address:

• Physical infrastructure resilience
• Digital infrastructure resilience
• Cybersecurity resilience

Researchers wishing to present their work can now submit abstracts for consideration.

Abstracts are due by March 6^th, 2026 and those interested in submitting abstracts or the event can go to Transportation Research Board - International Transport Forum (ITF) Summit

Image: Kent J. Edwards 

When Zohran Mamdani took the stage at his election night party last year, he declared his victory was for all the struggling, overlooked New Yorkers who had propelled his rise to power.

He also singled out a taxi driver, addressing him directly in his speech: “My brother, we are in City Hall now.”

The mayor-elect was talking to Richard Chow, a 67-year-old taxi driver and immigrant from Myanmar who has been a regular presence in, first, Mr. Mamdani’s campaign, and now, his administration.

Mr. Chow drove Mr. Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, past the cheering crowds to his inauguration at City Hall on New Year’s Day.

Almost two weeks later, Mr. Chow drove Mr. Mamdani to his new home, Gracie Mansion, from a news conference at LaGuardia Airport where the mayor had nominated Midori Valdivia to lead the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission.

“I never even dreamed of a mayor riding in my cab,” said Mr. Chow in an interview as he drove his taxi on Tuesday night. “This year, I’ve already driven the mayor two times. My taxi cab is like a historic cab now.”

Source: New York Times

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New York Mayor Urged to Ban Newsmax from Taxi TVs

The borough president of Manhattan has urged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the regulator of the city’s taxi and limousine services to find ways to boot right-of-center political news outlet Newsmax from thousands of cabs in the city.

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U.K.’s Vertical Thinks U.S. Will Lead Way in Electric Air Taxis—for Now

U.K. electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace this month brought its flagship Valo air taxi to the U.S., where it could compete with eVTOL designs from Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, and others.

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Trump Administration Says It Will Limit Funds for Speed Cameras

The Trump administration is restricting cities from using road safety grants for automated cameras that enforce speed limits or other traffic laws, part of a shift away from safety measures that might slow or otherwise inconvenience car travel.

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Future of Calgary Transit Free Fare Zone Once Again Up for Debate

The fate of Calgary Transit's free fare zone will once again be up for debate, just months after city council narrowly voted in favour of its survival. A notice of motion to review the decades-old program will be introduced at a committee meeting Tuesday. During city budget hearings in the fall, council voted 8-7 against a motion to eliminate the free fare zone.

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Cheap Chinese EVs Are Hitting Canada. For the U.S., 'A Matter of When'

Affordable, high-tech Chinese electric vehicles are already a familiar sight just south of the U.S. border in Mexico. And soon, they’re likely to be just as common to the north, after Canada recently lowered its tariffs on Chinese EV imports.

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A Toronto Company Is Helping Uber Go Driverless

Sometime in the near future, you’ll order an Uber and notice something missing when you open the car door: the driver. Waabi, the Toronto-based autonomous vehicle company, has announced plans to roll out at least 25,000 driverless cars in partnership with Uber. The robo-taxis will operate exclusively on Uber’s platform, though the companies have not said when the roll-out will begin or which cities will get them first. They also haven’t disclosed which automaker will build the cars, but Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun says a manufacturing deal is expected to be finalized in the coming months.

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Candela’s Hydrofoil Ferry Just Rewrote the Limits of Electric Boats

Electric boats and ferries are starting to become more common, but they have typically been confined to short, fixed routes with expensive, purpose-built charging infrastructure. This week, Swedish electric boat maker Candela set out to prove that those limits are no longer necessary – and did so in record-setting fashion.

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Smart, Electric and Autonomous: Welcome Onboard the Ultimate 'Last-Mile' Shuttle Bus

MiCa can seat 8 people and reach up to 25 km/h. It’s been designed to operate autonomously for up to 20 hours per day. “When the vehicle understands what’s around it, then it’s able to see where the road is, where objects are possibly moving, where the pedestrian crossing is, where the intersection is, and based on that and the next bus stop it’s going to, it’s able to plan a path for its route,” explains Kristjan Vilipõld, Product Manager, at AuVe Tech OÜ.

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Tens of Thousands of Transport Workers Walk Off Job in Germany

Commuters across Germany faced freezing temperatures and empty platforms on Feb 2 as tens of thousands of public transport workers walked off the job in a strike called by trade union Verdi, shutting down bus and tram services in most cities. Verdi, which represents nearly 100,000 transport workers, called the strike after talks with municipal and state employers over working conditions stalled last week.

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E-Mobility Grows to $108m Sector in Kenya

E-hailing platforms, such as Uber, currently contribute more than Sh14 billion (US$108 million) a year to the Kenyan economy. A government technology advisor commended the contribution, encouraging these companies to increase their initiatives to have a greater impact on unemployment, and enhance driver and partner opportunities.

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Why Asia-Pacific Has Become a Key Battleground for eVTOL Developers

In 2019, Singapore was emerging as a new frontier in the electric air taxi sector. In October that year, advanced air mobility (AAM) start-up Volocopter gave a glimpse of the future with a 2min piloted flight over Marina Bay. It was a curtain-raiser for its plans to bring electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) services to the city.

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Tesla to Start Autonomous Driving Tests in Israel after Transportation Ministry Approval

Tesla will begin supervised autonomous driving trials in Israel after receiving government approval, the Transportation Ministry announced on Sunday. This represents the first step towards authorizing the use of Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system, which allows the cars to operate autonomously with a supervised driver at the wheel

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Image: Lloyd Mitchell

Uber and Lyft drivers are set to receive “just cause” protections against being suddenly kicked off the apps that employ them, a practice known as “unfair deactivations,” after the City Council voted on Thursday to override ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ 11th-hour veto of legislation to establish those safeguards.

An overwhelming 46 members of the 51-lawmaker body voiced support for resurrecting the bill, Intro. 276 — six more votes than it originally passed by in December. The measure was one of 17 the council voted to reinstate after Adams rejected them on Dec. 31 — in the final hours of his mayoralty.

The bill is intended to establish protections for Uber and Lyft drivers against unfair deactivations, which its proponents describe as their vulnerability to getting kicked off the platforms at any moment, without warning, explanation, or an independent appeals process. They say the practice disproportionately impacts drivers who are immigrants and people of color.

“Today, we will cross the finish line and end the threat of unfair firings in the city,” said Council Member Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens), the bill’s prime sponsor, at a City Hall press conference before the vote.

Source: AM New York

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